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I love to receive your comments and get to know you a little bit better. I don't always respond to every comment--but I will do my best to answer any questions. Don't want to leave a comment for all to see? Feel free to email me at thesimplewife [at] aol [dot] com.

When Dad and I were teaching Acts to our middle school class at church, I noticed a verse I'd not noticed before: Acts 27:12. On the journey to Rome, Paul's ship stopped on Crete. Just as winter began, Luke wrote:

"Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there."

Instantly, I drew a smiley face in the margin and a quick doodle of a camping trailer to mark its spot.

So in light of Scripture and my lost love of winter, I will be applying Acts 27:12 as close to literally as possible:

"Since the weather in Denver is unsuitable to winter in, Dad, Mom, and I decided to move not...to reach Casa Grande,(between Phoenix and Tucson), and winter there."

We aren't sure what the weather will do this week, but our goal is to pack up the fifth wheel and hit the road on Thursday, arriving in the warm sunshine on Sunday, March 1.

There we will spend the month, reading, playing Bingo and shuffleboard and horse shoes and lawn-bowling--all while not shivering. I am also going to teach myself calligraphy.

Maddie-dog is, of course, coming with us and ready to make new friends while we are there. She alone will miss the snow--it fills her with glee and energy, causing her to revert to puppyhood and go completely nuts when she is out in it.

I will do my best to keep in touch--always on Twitter and Facebook and here too, provided I can get the dictation mic to work again. It's not cooperating today, so I am scribbling away on paper and will ask Mom or Dad to type this up in a bit.

I know that you are not a person and cannot understand all that I have to say to you, but this isn't really for you, it is for me.

And because I have some things I want to say to you, I am going to personify you a little bit; I hope you don't mind, but even if you do, I don't really care. So here goes...

Four years years ago this morning, you attacked me and tried your very best to kill me. I have news for you: you lost! I am still here, alive and living my life. True, you did take me out of the picture for weeks. I do not remember much at all about those days and weeks of being in a medically induced coma while the doctors did worked to bring down the pressure in my brain. I only know what people have told me about those days.

To tell you the truth, I don't really want to remember. From what I've been told, it wasn't all that terrific or very much fun.

My memories don't really begin until I had moved out of the ICU at Littleton Adventist Hospital and into long-term acute care at Kindred Hospital further north in Denver.

The only thing I really remember about that January morning is forgetting to open the flue when I lit the fireplace and filled the house with smoke. It was a freezing morning and I had to open all the doors and windows to clear the smoke from the housewhile the fire alarm wailed at full volume. It was icy outside and so I decided to run indoors on the treadmill in the basement, rather than to slip and slide along the neighborhood streets. My kidswere busy playing while I ran and everything was going well until my head started to hurt. It felt as though there was a huge metal zipper on my skull that someone was unzipping from my neck to my forehead. It was cold and felt like icewater was dripping down my head from my crown toward my neck. I remember thinking that something was wrong – very wrong. And that is the last thing I remember for more than a month.

The next thing I remember is Mom holding my hand one morning and telling me a story about someone who had had a stroke,brain surgery, and was very, very sick. As she told me the story of this poor person, it slowly dawned on me that she was talking about me! Again, I remember thinking that something was very wrong.

Despite all that was wrong and the things that had been lost, you didn't kill me, I was alive and conscious and my memory was starting afresh at that very moment.

True, I could no longer sit upright, breathe on my own,get out of bed, talk, or even eat, but as the weeks and months passed I worked hard to learn to sit up, to breathe for myself, to talk, to swallow, to stand, and eventually to get out of bed, to walk, to eat, to speak again – even in French with my nurse, Jean-Marc from the Ivory Coast, who refused to listen to me if I spoke in English once he learned that I had studied French in college. So French it was...

True, there are still things I cannot do. I can't drive or move my left arm; I can only walk short distances without a cane.

But each and every day I get out of bed and face the day and so I am taking back more and more of what you took from me; the war is not over!

All in all, you tried to kill me, you tried to destroy my life and my family. Her's the deal--YOU LOST! I won!And I am still winning,I will not give up and I will keep taking back my life and my health one day at a time.Yes, you were powerful and strong, but you've got nothing on the power of God for those--like me and those who pray for me--who believe.

Even though Thanksgiving is in the past, it is still very much on my mind as I continue to consciously remember all I am thankful for.

Being thankful is something I try to cultivate each and every day. Before I get out of bed in the morning, I stop to remember all I have for which I am grateful. For the past few weeks and on Thanksgiving especially I have been particularly thankful to be alive. Along with that, I am thankful that I am glad to be alive and that I no longer wish I were not.

Praise God, The darkdark days of depression are mostly in the past. Like everyone, I still have those days when I feel sad and melancholy, but for the most part, my days are good and my outlook is positive.

Some of that may be that all of my medication is stablized. I have been weaned from most all of the heavy narcotics that caused side effects of fatigue and depression. At this point, the only prescription medications I take are for depression, pain, and seizure prevention. I do take a couple of over-the-counter medication according to my doctor's orders. These are minor, things like aspirin and medicine to prevent heartburn and stomach upset that can happen because of all the other medication I have taken in the past several years.

It feels great to live life clearly and without the fog caused by so many of my previous medications.

I am also very thankful for the Rocky Mountain Stroke Center; it is located not too far from our home, and is the place where I attend art and craft groups as well as where I do physical therapy with my physical therapist and a small group of other people who have had strokes and, as a result, have many of the same physical limitations I have.

We do a lot of stretching and core strengthening exercises in a group and also work individually or one-on-one with atherapist on things like balance, stability, and specific muscle strengthening. I spend a lot of my time in physical therapy working on balance and transferring my weight evenly from my right leg to my left one. My balance is improving quite a bit and while I am at home, I walk without my cane for the most part. I do use my cane outdoors and when we are away from home. Being able to walk without my cane at home frees my right hand from holding the cane to be able to carry things. This means I can carry my Kindle to another room and read by the fire. I am also able to walk around my bed in order to make it, though the bed fairy still comes by each morning to smooth out any wrinkles I may have missed. After I get up, I can now walk to the kitchen and pour my own coffee and even carry it back to my room! Having more freedom and independence to move around the house feels good. It allows me to do more for myself, and thatmeans that I don't have to ask Mom and Dad to wait on me quite so much. Showering is another thing I'm doing more independently, though Mom hrlps dry my back where I can't quite reach. A big goal of mine is to learn to dress myself. Undressing is easy as pie and quick too, but managing sleeves and multiplelayers with only one working arm is a work in slow progress...One-handed shoe tying is something I dohave down pa--if my shoes are specially laced. Doing my own hair and makeup is not too hard. As always, using the bathroom independently and alone is near the top of my thankful list. I dont miss those re-potty training hospital days at all! Sorry if thats TMI...;).I alwaysdo want to be honest with you!

Since Thanksgiving, we have attended of number of holiday programs and concerts. I have checked in and documented each of them on Facebook.

My favorite program so far was definitely the performance of Messiah at Village Seven Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs. The choir and full orchestra presented the entire work and its quality was simply incredible! That church performs Messiah every other year and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is well worth the drive from Denver and if you live in anywhere near the area, you should definitely go in 2016 when they next offer the program! We will be there andI am already looking forward to it!

My second favorite program was the Home for the Holidays show at the Lone Tree Arts Center this past Saturday. The talent represented was phenomenal. Unfortunately, this is the last year this show will be offered. I am disappointed that we will not get to see it next year....:(

One of the featured dancers in the show on Saturday reminded me so much of Audrey, and I have been missing her badly ever since! I wanted to find the dancer after the performance just to hug on her, but I didn't see her nearby. I'm sure she's glad that I missed her because she would have been sure I was a crazy stalker weirdo! ;)

Naturally, I am missing the girls as Christmas approaches. At this point, there are no plans to get together over Christmas or New Year's. So many of you have asked me at one time or another if I get to spend time with them. I do not. And I have not seen them since April. I do think of and pray for them each day, and long to see how much Audrey and Emma have grown up and changed in the past nine months...

Tomorrow we will attend the Christmas Eve service at my sister's church to see her children in their Christmas program. We will all have dinner at her in-law's home before Mom, Dad and I go to a Christmas Carol sing-along at a church here in town.

We will be athome for Christmas morning; two of our neighbors who are both widows will come for Christmas brunch midmorning, and later in the afternoon, we will head over to Kristen's house for dinner and to exchange gifts there.

We are planning to attend our neighborhood New Year's Eve party at the clubhouse; the party uses East Coast time to celebrate, so we should be able to stay awakeuntil "midnight" and be home in time to get to bed well before the actual Colorado midnight!

In January, my regular schedule of activities at the stroke center and counseling each week in Colorado Springs will resume and Mom and I will begin the spring semester of Bible study at Cherry Creek Presbyterian church, where we attended Bible study this past fall.

The day after Thanksgiving we decided that getting away from the cold and snow in March would be a good idea so we will be relocating to Arizona for the month of March. We are staying at an RV park in Casa Grande (south of Phoenix) with some friends who go there every year. It will be quite a drive on Sundays, but we will be able to attend my church in Gilbert. I am excited to have the opportunity to reconnect with dearfriends there, whom I only see on Facebook these days...

I am also excited to play horseshoes, shuffleboard, and bocce ball.and to hang out by the pool, of course!I have completely adjusted to life in a retirement community and I love it!I still dont know how to play bridge, but there's time! The other big plan in the spring sometime will be to visit Oklahoma and pick up my new puppy from the breeder when she is born. We are not sure of the exact timing since her mother is not yet pregnant. She is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and poodle mix--a Cavapoo, just like our favorite neighborhood dog, Maddie, whom we frequently dogsit and love like crazy!

I am super excited to get a puppy and to train her to be my very own snuggle buddy and friend!

I have my dictation software up and running today--with some help from Dad. I am not quite sure what we just did to make it work, but since it is working, I will go ahead and post a quick blog update.

Since today is Tuesday, I began the morning at the Rocky Mountain Stroke Center for my PT class. it's is a group class, with five or six of us plus the center's physical therapist and an intern. Mom and I were running a little late this morning so I missed the first few minutes of warm-up. but once we got going, I worked hard until my legs felt like rubber bands.

when PT was over, Mom and I went up the street to have lunch at Chipotle.We took a quick detour to see the new location of one of our very favorite antique stores. then we went back to the stroke center for the very first craft class group. One of the interns is leading a craft group every Tuesday for the next few weeks.

We made candle jars by gluing fall leaves onto glass jars. The jars are still wet so they won't come home with me until next week. I did take a picture and post it on Facebook earlier this afternoon.

I met some new people at the group. It was nice to already know at least one other woman from the arts group I attend on Monday mornings.

The Rocky Mountain Stroke Center has been a good place for me. The center offers different kinds of therapies, as well as support groups. I have not attended any of the support groups but meeting people in the art group and in the PT class has been helpful. We have time to chat and get to know each other. We talk about all kinds of things, and it has been good to be able to ask questions about how other people manage life after stroke. I have heard tips on how to manage an airline flight and things like how to put in contact lenses with only one hand

I did get two new pairs of glasses as well as a pair of prescription sunglasses within the last few weeks. I had not been to the eye doctor for five years and my prescription had changed quite a bit. The optometrist said that I should be able to wear contacts again. I think I will stick with my new glasses for now and maybe try contacts in a year or so

The rest of this week will be pretty routine. I have counseling tomorrow morning in Colorado Springs. Hi, Diane! I will see you tomorrow morning!:)

Wednesdays are the day that Dad and I hang out together. He drives me to and from the Springs and we stop for lunch somewhere on the way home, usually some out-of-the-way place that has burgers and onion rings. it has become a day we both enjoy. We talk in the car and listen to old rock 'n roll; the weather on Wednesdays has been warm enough the past month or so for us to put the top down on his Corvette. I don't think it is supposed to be very warm tomorrow, so we may need to bundle up and turn on the heat or just take mom's car.

on Thursday, Mom and I have Bible study. On Friday, Mom and Dad are getting away for the night so my sister is coming to spend the night with me. We plan to watch movies.

This morning we did find out that we will get to dogsit for Maddie, t the dog we have dogsat for in the past. Her owner has a busy weekend so she will stay with us from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon instead of having to stay home alone. I am thrilled! I am hoping for a Christmas puppy this year. My fingers are crossed that we will find the perfect dog for us.

Next week will be a typical week with the addition of a couple ofdoctor appointments and at night spent in Winter Park before my dad's birthday. we are going out to dinner on Saturday and going to see a Christian Youth Theater performance of Peter Pan. it will be fun!

I hope to blog at least once a week in the future, andas I said last time, I do post every-day comings and goings and pictures on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for the friendly requests I have received since I last posted here.

it's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here. We have plans to eat Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant with my dad's best friend and his wife. After dinner out, me will come home and have pie here.

Tonight we are headed to Costco for a gourmet dinner.;) We will come home to watch TV or a movie before we fall asleep early now that it is dark so much earlier than it was last week

as always, thank you for your prayers and comments. I enjoy hearing from you and keeping up with what is going on in your lives.

"a proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth." (dictionary.com)

And I'm comfortable with the concept for the most part.

But I am now living in paradox and...well..., it's not so comfortable after all. Why?

Because the paradox in which I find myself is a tricky one. It's MINE - something with which I've long wrestled and struggled. (My MISSION Community Church Psalm 23 girls will know this already about me)-the teeter-totter balance between dependence and self-sufficiency is not one Ihandle well.

Self-sufficiency and independence? I sure like the sound of those. I'm comfortable with them. I likethem. Do I want to have it all together and handle life on my own? You betcha! What's not to love about that?

And YET - God calls us - calls me to a life of dependence, a life of abiding and relying and resting on and in him alone. And not just for some things. But for ALLthings.

Truth is, I really don't like being dependent - not one little bit. It makes me feel uncomfortable and weak. Out of control and scared, well--freaked out, really.

But I want it too. Because I know that God wants it for me.

So much of life after stroke is about dependence. I require help with so many things and needto be grateful in the being helped by and being dependent on others.

At the same time, much of life afterstroke is about independence too - learning and working to gain skills and abilitites that were lost. It's a weird tension to carry--being gracious and accepting of such dependence while alsostriving for and looking toward independence. The balance is hard to achieve and unpredictable and unexpected ups and downs are frequent and disorienting at times. Gaining independence while also being dependent is absurd, and yet isalso a possible truth according to the dictionary, anyway.

A paradox - learning to rest on both sides of the teeter-totter while doing my best not to fall off. It's going to take some time and prayer to maintain and eventually thrive here...

I know that so many of you pray for me already. It is a wonderful, encouraging and humbling blessing to me.

I tried to sit down and blog just a bit ago, but could not remember how to get the microphone to work with my dictation software. I considered one-finger typing, but knew I wouldn't have the patience for that - despite a sermon this morning about patience! So I pulled out my clipboard and a good pen and decided to write a post by hand and then ask Mom to type it for me (Thanks, Mom!)

I know I always write that I miss blogging and promise to be more consistent in the future. But I haven't . I'm sorry.

Today - this one time - I will claim technical difficulties as my excure! Grrr...!

For the rest of the blog-less summer, I'll go with busyness - moving, camping, getting settled, finding a new routine and a new normal.

I normally think that busyness is a lame excuse, and I still do. In fact, I feel totally lame for saying I've been too busy to blog. Urgh. Yuck. But it's done now, so on to the rest...

We are mostly settled in our home and it is great! I love it! I've found a lot more independence and general ease in day-to-day life and routine.

I'm just about completely independent in the bathroom and need Mom only to dry my back after my shower every night--it's pretty tough to do with only one hand!

We have quite a full routine...bedtime is a wonderful time of the day after lots of activity!

On Mondays, I attend an art therapy group at the Rocky Mountain Stroke Center. We talk and paint or draw and generally hang out all morning.

On Tuesdays, I go to a PT group and come home exhausted. I'm working on balance a lot. Standing up straight with head,shoulders, hips, knees and feet aligned is harder than I remember it being. Last week I rode a stationary bike a bit - lots of balancing required to stay upright-- it got my heart pumping and felt like real exercise!

On Wednesdays, Dad drives me down to Colorado Springs for my weekly counseling appointment. We stop for lunch on the way home and tend to go somewhere with good onion rings!

On Thursday mornings, Mom and I go to Bible study at a local church. We are on week 4 of Children of the Day and look forward to seeing Beth on screen every week. Thursday afternoons alternate between a massage and warm water PT class. I prefer massage therapy above all other choices!

Fridays are mostly free and a good day for being with friends - coffee, breakfast, lunch, or just hanging out.

Weekends include our small group from church twice a month, and Sundays are full with church, teaching Sunday School with Dad (we now have Middle School students--we've been promoted!), and relaxing, and rest.

There is time in our weeks for things like the local symphony orchestra, a movie night here and there, book reading, and everyday tasks and such.

Life is full - and good!

My stamina is increasing little by little - which is necessary just to keep up with the calendar. Like everyone else, I could use more energy!

I do post regular updatesand photos on Facebook(Joanne Heim) and Twitter(@joanneheim) with more everday kinds of things.

I came to Denver about a month ago to visit my parents for a week. I am still here; Toben and the girls have asked me to stay here with my parents instead of returning to Colorado Springs.

For that past month we have been living in the house they have owned for almost 7 years.However, last fall they decided to downsize and bought a patio home in a 55+ neighborhood nearby. Since then they have been changing things and updating the kitchen, the woodwork, and the carpeting. The contractor called one day last week during breakfast to tell my dad that the house is officially done!

We leave Monday to go camping in Steamboat Springs with my niece and two nephews. After we return, we will begin to move into the new house.

Everything is on the main level with a television and guestroom in the basement. My room is also on the main level and my bathroom is just next door to my room

I will be able to be even more independent in the new house. My shower has no step to enter, the floor is entirely flat and with only a bath chair, I should be able to bathe independently.For now, mom helps me in the shower each evening. We laugh, have water fights, and completely soak the bathroom! My new bathroom should stay much drier unless mom does something that merits a good soaking. we have fun and do our best to keep each other in line. It's may be a losing battle, but we have too much fun to care much.

During the past month, I have been tying my shoes with only one hand, making my own bed, and even helping in the kitchen! When we move, I plan to attempt to do some of my own laundry and even more cooking in the kitchen with mom.

we do grocery shop together every week, and I accompany her on all of her errands and outings. Little by little, I am testing all of the electric carts in the stores around South Denver. I am keeping a list of the best; Home Depot is at the top with Trader Joe's and Sprouts, Walmart comes next, with Target bringing up the rear. I look for power availability, and ease-of-use. Costco is on the same level with Trader Joe’s and sprouts. my complaint with Target carts is that the batteries run out quickly and often there are no carts available for use.

I can walk around the store is necessary, but it wears me out quickly

I prefer to ride when possible.

Living in Denver means I get the opportunity to see many of my friends here.

I also am able to attend church with my parents every weekend. I Sunday school with my dad, who teaches third and fourth grade. We have fun together with all of the kids. I also go to Bible study with my mother every couple of weeks at the home of the pastor and his wife.

I have made many new friends at their church, and enjoy being involved in church once again. it is something I have missed over the past year or so.

I am sleeping really well here at mom and dad’s house. the weather has warmed up so I can sleep with the windows open at night— something I love about summer.

for a while I was sure that winter with never end. But it has and the polls are open. Our new neighborhood has both a swimming pool and a hot tub that I will be able to use, especially since mom and I were able to find a new swimsuit for me the other day.

shopping for its involved both tears and laughter. I sure hope there were no cameras in that dressing room. if by chance there were, mom and I will be cart kid ff to the Illini bin in the near future. we often get hysterical when things go wrong like getting completely tangled up in a swimsuit that is far too small and impossible to get out of

I have also started some physical therapy again now that I am in Denver once more. I I have seen my favorite physical therapist twice so far and will get on her regular schedule when we return from camping. at this point, I am stretching and walking when possible. Getting the mail may become one of my new chores when we move. I will need mom or dad to go with me because I am afraid of falling even though I have not fallen for more than a year. I also need someone to carry the mail since my rate hands is busy with my cane and my left arm is still not on the team.

Not being able to carry things while I walk is frustrating and means that my pockets are usually filled to overflowing with my phone, some Chapstick, a tissue, and maybe a snack. I

am looking forward to camping next week Ava will be my roommates in the master bedroom, while the boys will sleep in sleeping bags on the floor and underneath the sofa bed that mom and dad will use since I will be in their room.

We are taking the children with us because my sister and her husband are doing Riide the Rockies next week. It’s is a week-long bicycle ride through the Rocky Mountains. there are more than 500 miles and something like 28,000 feet in elevation gain. personally, I think they are a little nuts, and better them than me! they camp along the way which is another reason I would never do it sleeping on the ground was fined as a kid. But now I prefer to sleep in the camper where it is comfortable and the toilet flushes. when it comes to camping, I am not a tough girl--not even close!

They will have fun and I'm sure that Kristen will post pictures to her Facebook account I am sure. I will update my Facebook account from the campground in Steamboat Springs, which I am told has Wi-Fi as well as a swimming pool, full hookups, and a playground for the kids.

The rest of the summer includes moving, visits with some out-of-state friends, and a couple more camping trips – two Mount Rushmore and southern Colorado. I also plan to spend time on the deck, watching golfers go by, and soaking up some sun.

I may do some physical therapy in the pool as well, it depends on how much they heat the pool, and how comfortable I feel in the water.

I am looking forward to the summer and being settled in a new routine

The neighborhood is still filled with friendly people; we spend Friday evenings at the weekly potluck at the clubhouse and have met lots of nice people. We are also looking into getting a dog! We want a small dog that doen't shed, loves to cuddle, and is calm rather than hyper. If you know the perfect breed for us to look into please leave a comment. for a long time, dad said if we get a dog, now he is saying when we get a dog;we are more than halfway there!

Thank you for being patient with me and my unintentional sabbatical from blogging. My dictation software and my Apple operating system had a disagreement, and I needed to update my dictation software. Dad was kind and generous to update and install the latest version. I am blogging this post all on my own and it seems to be working so part of a new routine will be posting more often.

My email, blog address, and phone number are allstaying the same. If you need my new address for any reason please send me a private email or message on Facebook. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I will do my best to check in from the road next week if possible.

Since having my stroke a little more than three years ago, I have spent most of my time looking back, wishing for life as it used to be.

i am slowly coming to realize that it will never be like it was before. Even if i were somehow physically resored to health, life has changed. i have changed, our family has changed. much has been lost that may never be regained

when I do look forward, I look far forward into eternity. I long for heaven, where all will be restored: perfect health perfect relationships, perfect contentment, perfect joy.

looking forward to life here on earth feels like looking at a future of monotony, one day very much like the next, similar to yesterday and much like what tomorrow will be.

yes, there are some variations: lunch with a friend, or coffee on a different day. a new book to read each day, a movie to discover, perhaps something different to wear.

a few weeks ago I started reading Beth Moore's book, praying God's word. I read several chapters and was particularly struck by the chapter on overcoming despair caused by loss. much of the chapter deals with loss resulting from the death of a loved one. yet I found much in the chapter that applied to me as well. When I think of my stroke, I often think of it as a thief-- something that stolen from me many of the things I care about-- my home, my cat, my favorite clothes and shoes, running, independence, my inability to do things like knit, crochet, hold the open the pages of a book, the ability to take care of myself and my family, in many ways, I feel like having a stroke stole my life and gave nothing in return.

The thought of living a long life has no appeal to me anymore, in many ways I already feel like an elderly person, dependents upon others for most of my needs.

as I read the chapter on overcoming the speaker almost every day, one of the verses that has stood out to me the most is Psalm 27:13. it says" I would have despaired if I had not believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." As I have paraphrased this into prayer it has become almost an hourly mantra" Lord, I do not want to lives in despair any longer; please hope me believe and have faith that I will see your goodness in the land of the living and that I do not need to wait until heaven to be happy again."

there is also a paragraph or two in the chapter where Beth talks about the abundant life we are promised in John 10:10. She says that Jesus did not die to give us merely an existence, but a life of abundance filled with joy and filled to the full. There are days I desperately need to read this again and again. For there are many days in which I feel I am merely existing, not really living

I do not believe that I am living the kind of abundant life that God has promised me, the life that Jesus died to give to me. but I long to live and not just exist

however, I am not sure how to go about living such an abundant life in my own power, and so all I can do is pray for such a life, to believe that God is who he says he is; he can do all he says he can do; he fulfills his promises, and that because those things are true, I can realistically hope for an abundant life in the land of the living.

please pray:

for my faith to grow and be strong

for my belief to stand firm

for God to fulfill his promise of an abundant life for me

for me not to dwell on the past, but to look forward with hope

thank you for your faithfulness and love. I love you back, even though I have yet to meet many of you face to face.

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I love to read. Reading is one of my very favorite things to do. I have loved books for as long as I can remember. Since my stroke, my love of books has been transferred to my Kindle. Reading an actual book is difficult for me to do. I have a hard time holding the book, turning pages, and not dropping it all on the floor. a candle. Or, on the other hand, is perfect for me. I can hold it easily in just one hand and use only in my thumb to turn the page. I spend hours reading every day, Averaging at least one book per day, something that has been standard for me for many years. I read quickly and when I get lost in a book, I read even more quickly.

It is not uncommon for people to ask me what it is that I am reading on any given day.

My original Kindle asked me to rate each title as I finished it, and then posted an update to twitter. My new Kindle fire does not and I do not always take the time to post an update when I finish a book, so I thought that today I would do a quick general update on what I have been reading over the past week or so.

I read for entertainment and to escape, so I do not often read books about people whose lives are similar to my own.

I' much prefer to escape into a life unlike my own where I can do things that are out of the realm of my everyday life. I love action/ adventure/ spy thriller kinds of books where I can travel the globe, fast rope from a helicopter, jump out of an airplane, or in live an undercover and dangerous life filled with adrenaline and excitement

In the past few days I have discovered a series of books by Stephen Frey about a black ops group called Red Cell 7. I am on the second book in the series and expect I will read the rest of the series over the weekend.

I have also always enjoyed young adult fiction, making a point to read most of the Newbery Award winners. In the past few weeks I read all of Rick Riordan's Percey Jackson books as well as his Heros' of Olympus series. Again, it's fun to escape and live in a world of Greek mythologie.

Another great young adult series is the I Am Number 4 books by Pittacus Lore.

Years ago I read The Giver and Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. This week I discovered two more books in the series and quicly read them. These are books I plan to recommend to Emma who has suggested I read Scott Westerfeld's The Uglies series--books she was assigned to read for school and thoroughy loved. After reading the first book she told me "Mom, I really like distopian literature." Lois Lowry's The GIve Quartet would definitely fit that catagory.

For now I plan to finish the Red Cell 7 series books before finding something knew (I do have an e-copy of THe Book Theif on hold at the library and am waiting for it to become avaialable.

I am always lookign for great books to read. Have you read anything wonderful lately. If so please tell my about it and comment.

Tobenworked hard this morning to install Dragon dictates on my new computer. Capital it's took a bit longer than expected

But after going through the tutorial and playing around with it some, I think I have just about figured out how to use it to blog.

the good thing is that I cannot hear myself through the headset that is attached to the microphone. I think that would drive me absolutely crazy!

I am excited to see how this will work; it will take me a while to get used to speaking a blog post instead of typing or writing it

my voice is still not quite back to normal and I sound funny to myself – sort of like I'm coming down with a cold. I do not talk a lot most days so my voice often feels scratchy. I have cleared my throat once or twice so far and nothing strange showed up in what is being typed, so that is good.

I have always felt more comfortable expressing myself through my fingers as I type rather than speaking off-the-cuff typing gives me extra time to process exactly what I want to say

luckily, I have never been one to hem and haw or say um a lot while I am speaking, which would show up as I dictate

I do realize that while dictating with this software I cannot talk to myself out loud, which may turn out to be a good thing since it would give everyone reading I look into my crazy self :-)

a quick update on the rest of life: school started for the girls this week and the week has gone Well.

I have also learned that I cannot talk to anyone else in the room while dictating or it inserts part of that conversation into my dictation.

D Dragon is not recognizing then names of my family, so I willneed to teach it how to spell the girls' names as well as all of my other friends and family.

I do think I have the hang of this for the most part, so I am going to click publish and see what happens.